I'm unable to concentrate. I have to get out some of these thoughts and feelings.
I've been listening to a lot of music lately, and I even made a playlist on Spotify of songs for resistance, for rising up and staying strong. One of these songs is called "Here's to the State of Mississippi," by Phil Ochs.
Phil was a "topical singer" as opposed to a protest singer and I think he saw himself as a journalist. He wrote songs about Medgar Evers ("Too Many Martyrs"), the assassination of John F. Kennedy (The Crucifixion"), immigrant workers ("Bracero"), and the murder of Kitty Genovese ("Outside of a Small Circle of Friends.") Anyone who knows me will recognize my sense of humor in his. The word often used is "sardonic."
I listened to "Here's to the State of Mississippi" again about ten minutes ago and I cried. This song came out in 1965. Let that sink in: 1965. That's 18 years before I was born. My father was a 22 year-old college student and my mother was 17, one year away from graduating from high school. Humans would not walk on the moon for another four years.
I'm posting the lyrics here, copyright Phil Ochs and whoever owns the rights to his songs.
Here's to the state of Mississippi,
For underneath her borders, the devil draws no lines,
If you drag her muddy river, nameless bodies you will find.
Oh the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,
the calender is lyin' when it reads the present time.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
And here's to the people of Mississippi,
Who say the folks up north, they just don't understand,
And they tremble in their shadows at the thunder of the Klan.
The sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from off their hands.
They smile and shrug their shoulders at the murder of a man.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
And here's to the schools of Mississippi,
Where they're teaching all the children that they don't have to care,
All the rudiments of hatred are present everywhere.
And every single classroom is a factory of despair.
There's nobody learning such a foreign word as fair.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
And here's to the cops of Mississippi,
They're chewing their tobacco as they lock the prison door.
Their bellies bounce inside them when they knock you to the floor,
No they don't like taking prisoners in their private little war.
Behind their broken badges there are murderers and more.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
And here's to the judges of Mississippi,
Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court.
They're guarding all the bastions of their phony legal fort.
Oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report,
When the black man stands accused the trial is always short.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
And here's to the government of Mississippi.
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging down,
And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns,
And they hope that no one sees the sights and no one hears the sounds,
And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
And here's to the laws of Mississippi.
Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay,
While the Constitution is drowning in an ocean of decay.
Unwed mothers should be sterilized, I've even heard them say.
Yes, corruption can be classic in the Mississippi way.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
And here's to the churches of Mississippi,
Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust,
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust.
The fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust.
Heaven only knows in which God they can trust.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
Has anything changed? And yes, this song specifically mentions Mississippi, but it's an indictment of the entire Southern United States, and indeed American racism, which is unfortunately country-wide. But really, what has changed? Let's go verse by verse:
The State
Racism exists in every state, in every city. You most likely know someone who believes something that is racist. This is a part of human nature that is unlikely to disappear. The key is to recognize it, to admit to it, to identify it. Do not let it stand. If someone says something you consider to be racist, for God's sake, SAY SOMETHING. Best case, that person has no idea that what they said was racist. Worse case, you'll get into an argument. It would be irresponsible of me to claim that as the worst case after the horrifying and brutal stabbings in Portland on May 26, 2017. Standing up can get you killed. That makes it even more important for all of us to stand up, to rise up. WHITE PEOPLE: TALK TO RACIST WHITE PEOPLE AND TELL THEM THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Now is the time to have a talk with your racist friends and relatives - like AK Representative Don Young ("It was a different time, that's why it's okay for me to say 'wetback.'"); with that friend who tells racist jokes ("Oh don't be so sensitive!"), and with racist strangers who look to you for support when they try to put people down - and tell them that those words and actions are not acceptable, and that they never have been.
The People
Ugh. Quite a basket of deplorables appeared over the weekend, and have been appearing with more regularity since November 8. Thankfully some consequences have also appeared, consequences that would have been impossible 50 years ago: job losses and public humiliation were not faced by white men who committed racial crimes in 1960s South. (One could argue that this is still true today. See below.) I keep waiting for someone to defend these "fine young men" by asking the public to not condemn them because they are "good kids." You know, like in rape culture. (See Brock Turner, every single time an accuser is more harshly questioned and condemned than the attacker, etc.)
But we (Americans) are less complacent about racism, less accepting of this kind of incendiary behavior. I have to believe this. I have to believe that the majority of my fellow Americans would stand with me against racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, classism, ageism, all of it. I respect the right to free speech, and I respect that you have the right to your opinion. But when your speech and your opinion threaten the rights and lives of my fellow humans, you can be damn sure I'll disagree. Loudly, and with more information and historical context than you ever wanted. This is our test: many people in our country's history have failed. We can't.
The Schools
How many of you had to look up Medgar Evers? How about Emmett Till, James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, James Goodman? I'm not trying to make you feel bad, per se, but if you don't recognize those names, but you do recognize Stonewall Jackson, Nathan Bedford Forrest or David Duke, maybe you should.
A pet peeve of mine is historical inaccuracy. Obviously not everyone can be perfectly correct about history all the time. However the Confederate flag plastered all over the South is a square version of the second flag of the Confederate Navy from 1863-65. The Confederacy was such a mess that they had three official flags, none of which are seen today (Though to be fair, the last two did incorporate the recognizable design.) This seems a minor quibble, but how many of you knew that? Do you think the people waving and defending it do?
Why are people so scared of history and learning? Somewhere along the way being informed and seen as smart became a bad thing, a nerdy, elitist thing. There is a terrifying glorification of ignorance in this country where being smart is not as good as being loud, a devaluing of education. I say this as someone who dropped out of college and took an extra year to graduate from high school. I've never had straight A's in my life. School sometimes sucks (scientific term) but learning is so important. I'm afraid that's being lost.
The Cops and the Judges
In no particular order:
Philando Castile, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, Alton Sterling, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner.
And you know what our president has said to police officers? "Don't be too nice."
What did he have to say about a sheriff (in Arizona, you know the one) who treated prisoners unconstitutionally according to a federal ruling and conducted racial profiling according to the U.S. DOJ? "He's a great American patriot."
Our country has a severe problem with institutional racism in our police force and our prison system.
Once my brother (who is more tan than me, but not by much: we are very pasty white people) was driving home in Miami, FL. His neighborhood bordered a neighborhood called Overtown, which any Miami resident will tell you is a scary place. Ted was driving his BMW and was pulled over by police, who probably assumed a white kid driving a BMW in Overtown had drugs on him. He wasn't even asked to leave his car. At no point was he handcuffed or restrained. Now, my brother doesn't do drugs. Ever. So they found nothing. They kept him there for an hour while they (the police) desperately searched for an explanation as to why they pulled him over. Eventually they cited him for not having a Florida license and for an obscured registration tag.
At no point was my brother in danger from the cops. My parents don't have to worry about us dealing with the police because we are white. If we committed any crimes, they would not have to worry about us being unfairly judged and sentenced because of our skin color. It is an unfair, unjust privilege we have that has gone on for far too long in this country. Black Lives Matter.
The Government and the Laws
Our Congress in 2017 has a party majority, with the president a member of that same party and they still can't get important things done. At least in 1965 the Civil Rights Act had been pushed through the year before and the Voting Rights Act was passed. Our current Congress is pitiful, crippled by a ridiculous unwillingness to cross party lines and actually govern (Mitch McConnell, I'm looking at you.) Governing is the point of being a member of Congress, not getting reelected, you assholes. And being elected means serving your constituents, including the ones who didn't vote for you, because democracy.
The Churches
So, I work for a church. My church experiences are overwhelmingly positive, as my church is accepting and progressive. My experiences of God are of a parent, focusing on love and support. I hate that there are people out there who have not had this. I hate that there are people that I know who have felt betrayed or cast out by their church. I hate that there are people out there who are so hung up on their truth that they can't see any other interpretation, i.e. Jesus was NOT white. Jesus did not look like me, or most of the members of my church. Here's more: the Bible was not written by people who looked like me. The people in the Bible did not look like me. It doesn't change anything Jesus ever said or did. His messages are pretty universal: you can find them in every major religion, and top of the list is do unto others what you would have done to you. Would you want to be denied a welcome because of the color of your skin? Then don't do that to anyone. Simple.
Not enough has changed. We have to fix it. For our sake, or our children's sakes. We can't allow this song to be so bloody relevant in fifty years. I have no call to action or suggestions other than to stand. To rise up and protect and defend and educate yourself and others.
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